Sansevieria Snake Plant Propagation Tips
Sansevierias, or Snake Plants, are easy to care for houseplants. And propagating their leaves to make more plants is very easy.
Rooting snake plant cuttings in just water is almost foolproof. Take a healthy leaf cutting, place it in a jar of water, and keep it in indirect light. Watch as roots grow over time, providing you with a thriving new plant that’s ready for transplant into soil.
Having patience might be the hardest part.
Related reading: How to care for your Sansevieria.
Snake Plant Propagation Tips
- Tip 1: For the quickest results, use healthy leaves. When I say quickest, don’t expect overnight results. Snake plant cuttings take a long time to root.
- Tip 2: It is important to keep the leaf cuttings in the same direction as they were on the plant. If you turn them upside-down, they will not root.
- Tip 3: Cut a v-shape notch on the bottom of the cuttings. This increases the surface area for roots to grow, and it also helps to keep track of which side is up and which end to put into the water or soil.
- Tip 4: The leaf top cuttings, with the pointy tip, tend to have the highest success rate and seem to grow roots and new leaves a bit sooner.
- Tip 5: If you propagate a variegated Snake plant, one with yellow leaf margins, new leaves that grow from those cuttings will not have those yellow edges.
The only way to keep the variegation is to propagate your plant by division. To do this, gently separate a clump of leaves with roots from the main plant and repot in its own pot.
When people say Snake Plant propagation doesn’t work, it usually is because they didn’t wait long enough. Snake plants don’t grow roots overnight.
Want to buy a Sansevieria Snake Plant? Find it for sale on Amazon!
Related reading: Popular types of Snake plants.
How to Propagate Snake Plant Leaves
You can propagate a single leaf and put it in a tall glass vase for dramatic effect. You can also cut the leaf into several smaller pieces. That way you will have more cuttings to grow more new plants from that one leaf.
Let all the cuttings dry out for a couple of days to let the cut ends callus over. This is important to prevent your cuttings from rotting. Don’t skip this step!
Water Propagation
To propagate cuttings in water, put them in a glass or jar with a bit of water and place them in bright, indirect light. Change the water regularly and wait for roots to grow to about 1-2 inches long before potting up in soil.
Propagate Cuttings in Soil
You can also propagate your cuttings directly in soil. This method skips the water part.
To propagate in soil, place the callused cuttings in a small pot with fresh well-draining succulent soil. Keep in bright, indirect light. Mist or water very sparingly. Resume regular watering when you see new growth.
The original leaf cutting itself won’t grow anymore. Unless it was the tip of the leaf and the tip is still intact. Once you see a new leaf growing, you can cut the original cutting down if you want to.
To speed up the propagation process, you can use a rooting hormone powder on your cuttings. Dip the bottom of the cuttings in water, then dip them in rooting powder before planting.
Read more: The complete guide to succulent propagation.
Why isn’t your Snake Plant Cutting growing Roots?
It can happen. Occasionally. Not every piece of leaf is the same. Some cuttings might just not take as well as others.
But usually, the answer to why your snake plant cutting isn’t growing roots is that you should give it more time. Snake plant cuttings take a long time to grow roots. As long as the cutting is not rotting and the water is kept fresh, roots could still appear.
Cuttings get Soggy and Brown
There is a problem when cuttings become mushy starting from the bottom up, and eventually turn brown or black. This means it is rotting. If this happens it most likely is because the cut hadn’t dried enough before being put in water.
You might still be able to save the cutting if it has turned soggy. Remove it from the water asap and cut the rotten part off. If there is still a decent bit of leaf left, you can start over and try again!
When cuttings planted directly in soil start rotting it is usually an indication that they have been overwatered. This can be caused when you are watering the cuttings too often, or when they are in a pot without drainage holes on the bottom.
Read more: How and when to water succulents.
Related reading: Are Snake Plants Toxic to Pets?
I rooted my leaf cutting in water it took months to root. I started seeing pups I now have 3 baby plants in soil. They’re growing.
Yeah! I love a propagation success story! Thanks for sharing.
Deborah, thanks yours is the most east to understand posts (and I have read) many on how to save a rotting snake plant. I have somehoe managed to kill 4 sansverias till date despite taking all possible precaustions. I do have a question. I plan to propagate these is soil. Hopefully it will work. I have 6 healthy leaves. Can I put them all into one soil pot? And if and when they eventually root, can I keep them all together or do I need to separate each of them into a separate pot?
Hi Sweta, thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated. About your snake plant cuttings, yes you can plant them all into one pot. Just make sure they all have a little space to grow roots. Don’t put them too close together, and not too much apart either. Just think about how snake plants are being sold, multiple leaves in one pot. You should be fine. Good luck and let me know how they do!
This is a great article. I have had two leaf cuttings in water for months. They’ve got lots of roots on now so I have just put one in a pot with some succulent soil. When and how often should I water the new baby? Should I water it now to encourage root growth or wait until it has settled? Thanks!
Hi Rachel, good job on rooting your cuttings! If you have planted them in soil, I would let them adjust for a couple of days. Since there are roots, you can then start watering them as you would normally. Let me know how they are doing!
Hi Deborah,
Thank you for the great post!
I have one long-ish leaf that has now calloused over and is ready for potting, and was wondering whether I could use all-purpose potting soil, or whether I should get special cacti soil instead?
Maria
Hi Maria, I would always plant my snake plants in special cacti/succulent soil, and even then I often add some perlite to the mix. It has to do with drainage. Regular potting soil doesn’t drain as well and stays wet longer. You could use it, but you would have to mix it with plenty of perlite or pumice. And be extra mindful when you water. Hope this helps!
@Mod and Mint, wow what a great tip! i really “love” snake plants and hope to hatch some of my own some day.
Hi Joshua, Thanks for your comment. Have you tried propagating a Snake Plant already? You should, it’s super easy and so rewarding in the end!
GREAT IDEA. I’M GOING TO TRY IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS INFO. WITH US. GOD BLESS !!!
Hi Laura, thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated!
Good day….must you cut the point off & then cut the V on the part you cut off?
Hi Suzanne, You want to cut the V shape on the bottom where you made the cut. The side which you will put in the water and where the roots will grow from. Hope that helps!
I just damaged one of my Sanseveria moonshine leaves, I came across your post and decided to prune it and hopefully grow a new plant from the leaf (which was beautiful until it got torn!). Thanks for the clear instructions and advice, the cutting is in a box callusing over! Fingers crossed!
Hi Nic, Yay for propagation! It can take a little patience, Sansevieria cuttings tend to take a while to root. Just wait and keep the water clean. Good luck! 🤞
I was dividing up my plant and I had to cut some roots away.. when I was done I had a piece of the cut off roots and I was like let’s put this in some dirt and see what happens.. I lost track of time but after a while to my surprise a little green spike poked up out of the dirt… I get so excited when my plants sprout.
Hi K, I love stories like that! And I share your excitement! 🙂 May your new snake plant grow big and tall!
Hey I’ve cut the leaves into four pieces and put it into the water for developing roots.
But I have done it immediately and have not let it dry as you mentioned. What shall I do now?
Hi Hersey, If you would let them stay in the water like that, you have a good chance that they will start to rot. What you could do, depending on how large your cuttings currently are, is take them out and cut of the bottom edge that has been in the water. Your cutting will be smaller, but you could let that callous over and start again. Good luck!
While it does takes months, I have great success from water rooting cuttings to produce pups. I have close to 3 dozen pups, including those I have not yet separated from the mother cutting. (I wait till they’re over 2 inches and have established a decent amount of their own roots.) My oldest puppy is about 11 inches tall. 1.5 years old. My mother cuttings produce 2 to 3 pups each / at the same time. And the same mother will produce multiple litters of pups. Just takes time and patience.
My pup offspring are clustered in arrangements and growing beautifully in water. (Runts in shot glasses.) I treat them to activated carbon (crushed aquarium filter charcoal) and their roots enjoy the oxygenation. Producing fresh, new white root growth.
Once they start producing, it’s fun to watch their progress.
Hi Jennifer, Yeah for propagation success stories!
Thanks for sharing, I get a lot of comments on Pinterest from people saying it doesn’t work. And usually, it is just a matter of being a bit more patient. These plants just take their good old time.
Thanks for the tip of adding the activated carbon to the water, that makes sense.
I let my cuttings dry for a day and put in water…the majority of them now a week or so later are rotting. Should I let them dry longer?? I have a huge plant that I can and want to get more cuttings from to try again.
Hi Tracy, I would definitely try again. Throw out the rotted leaves. Bummer but it happens. Since propagation is a waiting game anyway, especially with snake plants, just let your leaves dry out a day or two longer before putting them in water. Some leaves make it, some don’t, it’s how it works. Here’s hoping that your next cuttings will take root! 🤞
Hey Deborah
I had too many questions in my mind before reading your article. I was trying very hard with my dwarf snake plants to propagate with leaves but not getting success after so many attempts.But your article gave all answers to dozens of my queries (in mind).I had gone through so many youtube videos for help but believe me your article is better than all of them.
Thanks a lot.
Hope now I will be able to propagate all varieties of sansiveria and will write you soon and will update you soon with my success story of propagation.
Thanks a lot again
From a new budding gardener 😊😊
Hi Pallavi, Thank you so much for your comment. Much appreciated, it made my day! 😊 Can’t wait to hear how your snake plant cuttings are doing!
Hello! My cuttings have lots of roots and have been in water for at least 4 months now, potentially even 6 or 7 months I can’t say. 2020 was a blur. There are not any pups yet though. Any tips for encouraging pups to sprout?
Thank you 🙁
Hi Alexandra, have your cuttings started growing roots yet? I hear you on 2020 being a blur. The cuttings might be confused too..
Since they have lots of roots already and are in water for so long already, I would move them over to soil. Let them adjust and see what happens when they get the added nutrients from the soil. Good luck and let me know if they end up growing pups!
Hi! Very informative post. So we had a crazy wind storm and it knocked over my snake plant. It broke a leaf and I took it, cut it straight across and put it in water. I see here that you say I could do “V” cut. It’s only been a couple of days. Should I just wait or take it out and recut.
I also see that you say to prop, cutting close to the dirt is better. Would you recommend me cutting the remainder of the leave and trying to propagate that one too?! Thanks I’m advance.
Hi I’m trying to propagate my snake plant in water. It’s been about a month and a half. I’m not sure if it’s working. The bottoms are white & stringy. I’d love if I could email you a photo and you could advise me. Please send me an email so I can reply! Thanks for your kind attention. 🙂
Question for you – I just started to try and prop a leaf from my bantel where the bottom was damaged. If in a few months it does start to root, can I place that leaf back into the large 3 gallon pot with the rest of the original plant or would that size pot be too big for the small roots of this one leaf? I’d love to add it back in to help make the plant fuller if possible. Thanks for your help.
Hi Elisabeth, yes, you can put the new cutting back into the original pot to fill up your plant. Don’t put one cutting in such a large pot by itself, but with the original plant in there you should be fine. Good luck!
Hey, I let the cuttings callous over for a couple of days and then put them in water but after a few days I see that they kind of opened up at the bottom again. Is this supposed to happen, if not, what do I do?
Hi Cecilie, I am not sure what you mean by “opening up at the bottom”. As long as it’s not turning black and mushy, I would just leave the cuttings in the water in bright indirect light and keep the water clean. Good luck!
Thank you so much for all of those informations. I just realized that I missed a part of the process. I didn’t let my leaves dry before putting them in water. Can I remove them from the water, let the ends dry and put them back to the water? Thx for your answer.
Great article. I’ve been propagating my snake plant in water for about a year ( was in early pregnancy when I started and now have a lovely 4 month old baby girl ). The cutting has started to grow new leaves – I wasn’t sure when to plant it…?? I am quite enjoying watching the leaves grow in water
I’ve successfully propagated a leaf or two and they’ve started to grow a baby leaf! BUT I’m unsure on how to properly pot them. The original leaf that the baby leaf is coming from is about 6 inches long. Should I cut that leaf down and cover it in soil, with the new leaf direction growing upwards? Or do I keep the original leaf as is?
Hi Kelsey, How are your cuttings doing by now? I assume they are potted up and growing nicely. About the original leaf, you can “leave” it as is if you want, it just won’t grow anymore. But you can safely cut it down, that’s what I do.
Thanks for all your help. How long does it take a sansverias to get bigger and fuller? I messed mine up with root rot, because I was misting the soil, but dried it out and got rid of the old leaves that were falling and now it has 3 leaves in a new pot with cactus soil.
Thanks so much for the great post! I root rotted my snake plant (and it tragically fell apart in my hands), cut off the rot and made a few cuttings, and let them dry for 2 days. I put one that looked like it was pretty calloused over in water, but a day later the part that was under water looks like it’s starting to rot! It has a translucent look to it but still feels firm, and it’s no longer brown on the edges where it calloused before. Do I need to cut this part off and start over? Or can I let it dry again and let it callous for longer? Some of the smaller cuttings I made look like they’re starting to dry out, so I’m just not sure where the balance is. I don’t want to lose any more leaves 🙁
Hi Belinda, did your Snake Plant cuttings make it? Fingers crossed they did.
If a snake plant cutting starts to rot in water, and you notice it in time, you can cut off the rotten part. If you still have a decent size left of the cutting you can definitely let that callous over and start again.
I successful propagated from a broken leaf, by accident over the year of covid, bleh. Lol….but yay new plants! Once school resumed and I was near my plants in the classroom, I tried a cutting from a healthy leaf. Cut into multiple sections back in May or early June and I decided to check it today (after checking a few times a week for weeks, and giving up I might add) there are two tiny baby roots on two separate cuttings!! I am super ecstatic as this was not an accidental rooting. Ha! I really enjoyed reading your post, it was very informative. Thank you for sharing with new plant mamas and papas!
Hi Rose, Sorry for my late reply, but thank you so much for your kind words and sharing your propagation story, I love it!
Hope by now your snake plant cuttings are growing into strong and healthy plants. Good luck!
My first attempt at this caused my cutting to rot. I guess I didn’t let it dry out enough. How many days would you recommend and how do you know when it’s dried out enough?
Hello! My cuttings have some roots and they are still in water. Should I wait to transfer when they grow pups or can I transfer them now?
(Transfer to soil)
I have had Snake Plants for a long time. Several times they have blossomed! How can I help my new plant blossom?
do I need to let the leaves dry/ callous before putting in water to get roots to grow?
Hi Robert,
Yes, definitely let the cuttings callous over before putting them in water. If you skip this step the leaves will most likely rot before they get a chance to grow roots. Good luck and be patient, snake plant cuttings take a long time to root!